Lazar Finker

Executive Leadership & Philanthropy

Lazar's Professional Portfolio

Lazar Finker, along with his wife Raissa Frenkel and young son, arrived in Florida in 1991. After a successful first semester, the college requested Lazar remain among the faculty for another one. His popularity as an instructor continued to grow, and the family’s stateside residence happily extended far beyond their original expectation. They greatly enjoyed their newfound community in Jacksonville. Soon thereafter, Raissa elected to leverage her considerable qualifications and experience to oversee a new business venture.

This business venture marked the birth of their barter company, which supplied a number of Post-Soviet states with in-demand goods. Raissa, Lazar, & several other founding partners were pivotal in founding what became one of the most extensive trade networks in the former Soviet Union, a market other Western competitors proved unequipped to dominate. Raissa served as the CEO of the United States operations. As their company grew, it evolved into a vertically integrated gas producer. By the turn of the new millennium, Raissa, Lazar, & several other colleagues were leading the third largest private natural gas company by output in the world. In 2012, they sold their equity in the business and then turned their focus towards domestic investments.

Today, Lazar Finker and Raissa Frenkel own and operate a large private equity firm, Forum Capital Group, which specializes in real estate and seafood. The couple also established the Finker-Frenkel Legacy Foundation, an organization dedicated to causes such as medical research, education, religious development, and children’s welfare. Although they are constantly traveling, they remain headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida.

Organizations

Learn more about the Forum Capital Group and Finker-Frenkel Legacy Foundation by visiting the links below